Denton County tax bump likely

Proposed 2014 budget projects rate increase

Denton
County officials got their first taste of the 2014 budget Tuesday, and it
tasted like a tax increase.

Budget
officer Donna Stewart presented commissioners with an overview of the
recommended $223 million budget, a $12.5 million increase over last year. The
presentation was the first step in the process of finalizing the budget and tax
rate.

County
Judge Mary Horn said the budget was a lot to chew on, but without final
appraisal numbers and the railroad rolling stock figures, there was still work
for officials to do to get the budget in shape.

“As
usual, [Stewart] has put together a real good recommended budget, taking care
of all the things we need to address,” Horn said.

The
proposed tax rate is $0.289010 per $100 valuation, an increase from the current
rate of $0.282867.

Stewart’s
presentation included department appeals, updates on debt service payments,
county jail expansion costs and the reasoning behind the recommended increase
taxpayers would see, should it be approved.

“There is
nothing that really jumps out at me as of yet,” Horn said about the budget.

She did
not shy away from the issue of raising taxes.

“It’s
probably going to take a half-a-penny increase. But that’s not a surprise —
that was anticipated because of all the things we need to be doing,” she said.
“It’s always going to be tough when you continue to grow as fast as Denton
County.”

The
factors behind the increase include the cost of expansion of the jail and
juvenile facilities. With the expansion, county officials are entertaining
requests for 50 new hires in the jail.

“There is
no way getting around the expansion of the new juvenile facility and the jail —
they are both definitely needed,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Hugh Coleman.
“It’s just one of those things we’re going to have to pay for. I think we will
work through the budget and thoughtfully consider all of our options and make
the tough decisions that need to be made.”

Horn said
she anticipated the standout details of the jail and juvenile facilities and
continues a wait-and-see view of the budget proposals.

“We’re
always anxious to get the certified roll. That doesn’t happen until the 25th of
July, and we have to wait for the comptroller to give us the railroad rolling
stock,” she said. “At this point, until we hear the final numbers and hear any
appeals [made] over the next few weeks, there is not too much we can do until
we get some more concrete information.”

The
county has more revenue coming in to help make a dent in the projected
increases, including feeds from property tax revenue and office and court fees.

Stewart
reported that collections on property taxes, the largest single source of
revenue for the county, have continued last year’s average of 98.92 percent.
Revenue from new construction in the county is expected to bring in $3.1
million, approximately the same as last year, and the revenue from the
increased tax roll is expected to bring in $1 million.

An
additional 5 percent automatic registration fee is projected to bring in $3.4
million, an increase of $200,000 over last year. Funds from that are split
between the general and the road and bridge funds. Court fees are projected to
bring in $836,500 more than last year.

And while
the county is bringing in increased revenue in a number of areas, it is also
doling out less money. Social service agencies in the county are requesting a
total of $390,038 in funding, and the committee charged with determining how
much to give them is recommending $295,000.

Library
funding has been reduced again, this time a 10 percent hit, bringing the total
to $349,890. Twelve libraries in the county requested funds while Denton,
Coppell, Roanoke, Plano and Frisco did not request any funds.

Precinct
4 Commissioner Andy Eads praised the budget department staff for being able to
cut down on the bulk of requests from the initial budget.

“Now it
is our time as a commissioners court to closely examine each one of the
expenses recommended by the budget office and determine which ones are
absolutely necessary,” he said.

Commissioners
will hear budget appeals Tuesday during their next meeting.

BJ LEWIS can be reached at 940-566-6875 and
via Twitter at @BjlewisDRC.

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